Wildfires ravage a third of Namibia’s flagship national park

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WINDHOEK (Reuters) -Wildfires have destroyed about a third of Namibia’s Etosha National Park, a roughly 20,000 square-kilometre (7,722 square-mile) tourist destination known for its wildlife, the presidency said.

The wildfires began a week ago in the southwestern part of the park and is thought to have been caused by suspected charcoal-production activity on bordering commercial farms, according to authorities.

The blazes have since spread rapidly due to strong winds and dry vegetation, threatening biodiversity, wildlife, and the livelihoods of local communities, the presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

“The fire has caused considerable damage to the grazing in the park and the surrounding communal areas amounting to hundreds of thousands of hectares of grazing land,” it said.

“An unknown number of wildlife has been killed, whilst, thankfully, no human casualties have been reported.”

Etosha, classified as a national park in 1907 under German colonisation, is rich in wildlife including lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes and zebras, and draws thousands of tourists from around the world every year.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said on Saturday that at least nine antelope had been killed in fire-affected areas, while a pangolin had been rescued.

It said the ecological damage inside the park was extensive, with an estimated 34% of its area burned.

The fires have also extended beyond the park into communal areas in the Omusati and Oshana Regions, the ministry said.

The government has deployed more than 500 soldiers to help contain the blaze, the presidency said.

(Editing by Nellie Peyton and Hugh Lawson)